Massoud Pezeshkian, who has vowed to open Iran to the world, won a landslide victory in the runoff election and will be elected the country’s ninth president.
The only moderate candidate in the race won 53.7 percent of the votes, or 16.3 million out of more than 30 million cast, compared with 44.3 percent, or 13.5 million, for his rival, Said Jalili.
On Saturday, Pezeshkian acknowledged that “the road ahead is difficult,” but reached out to all Iranians: “I reach out to you and I swear on my honor that I will not leave you alone on this path. Please don’t leave me alone.”
World leaders congratulated Pezechkian on his victory.
Russia
President Vladimir Putin congratulated Pezechkian and said he looked forward to his contribution to Russian-Iranian relations.
“I hope that your term as president will contribute to strengthening constructive bilateral cooperation between our two friendly countries,” Putin said.
Before the election, Putin met with Iran’s interim President Mohammad Mokbel on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia and Iran are negotiating a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement.
Saudi Arabia
King Salman and the crown prince offered their congratulations to Pezeshkian, state news agency SPA said.
“I affirm my keenness to develop and deepen relations between our two countries and peoples and to contribute to our mutual interests,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.
In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in a deal brokered by China after years of tensions. The two countries have since increased regular contacts in an effort to strengthen ties.
Azerbaijan
President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Pezechkian’s election victory and said Azerbaijan “attached great importance” to relations with Iran.
“I am confident that with our joint efforts we will further strengthen the traditional friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Iran and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in line with the interests of our peoples and countries,” President Aliyev said while inviting Pezeshkian to visit.
Iran’s general elections were scheduled for 2025, but were held ahead of schedule after President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in the mountains on the Iran-Azerbaijan border on May 19 after meeting with President Aliyev to launch the joint dam construction project.
Venezuela
Foreign Minister Ivan Gil congratulated Iran for “demonstrating its commitment to democracy” by voting in two rounds of presidential elections.
“Venezuela expresses its confidence that the decisions of the Iranian people will contribute to the country’s prosperity and its position as an emerging power in the new multipolar world,” Gil’s statement said.
Pezechkian will have the “absolute support” of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government in expanding relations and continuing to defeat “hegemonic assertions that threaten multilateralism and world peace.”
Iran and Venezuela are close allies and signed a 20-year strategic cooperation plan during Maduro’s visit to Tehran in 2022.
China
“I attach great importance to the development of China-Iran relations and am ready to work with the President to further deepen the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership,” Xi said in his message to Pezeshkian.
“The two countries have a long history of friendly exchanges and bilateral relations have maintained healthy and stable development for more than half a century,” Xi said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
“Faced with complex regional and international situations, China and Iran have always supported and cooperated with each other, and continued to strengthen strategic mutual trust,” he added.
India
“I look forward to working closely with Mr Pezeshkian to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relations for the benefit of our two peoples and the region,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
Congratulations Follow I would like to congratulate you on your election as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our long and warm bilateral relations for the benefit of our two peoples and the region.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 2024
Iraq
President Abdul Latif Rashid congratulated both Iran and the president-elect, saying he “wishes him success in his duties and the realization of the ambitions and aspirations of the Iranian people.”
In a post on X, he said: “We confirm that we are keen to strengthen Iraqi-Iranian relations in a manner that serves the interests of both neighbours and our peoples.”
Pakistan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he looked forward to working closely with Pezeshkian to promote peace and stability in the region.
“As neighbours, Pakistan and Iran enjoy close and historic ties. We must ensure a bright future for our peoples through mutually beneficial cooperation,” he wrote to X.
I would like to heartily congratulate my brother Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian on his victory in the Iranian presidential election. I look forward to working closely with President-elect Dr. Pezeshkian to further strengthen bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran and promote peace and stability in the region.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 6, 2024
Kuwait
In his congratulatory message, Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah wished Pezeshkian long life and good health, as well as “further prosperity and development of the Islamic Republic.”
Syria
President Bashar al-Assad said Iran was “one of the most important countries with which we are committed to maintaining relations at the highest level.”
“This relationship is based on foundations built through decades of mutual respect, common understanding and firm principles that Syria and Iran have always adhered to.
“We work with you to strengthen Syrian-Iranian strategic ties and open up new promising prospects for bilateral cooperation, as resistance remains a common approach that we will follow to safeguard the pride of our two countries and defend the interests of our peoples,” Assad added.
